Oppose Federal Funds for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

This was sent in a newsletter by Tony Perkins, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council.

On March 9, 2009, President Obama issued an executive order that opened the floodgates for funding more human embryonic stem cell experiments. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has drafted guidelines for distributing these funds. These guidelines devote your tax dollars to experiments with embryonic stem cells, from destroyed human embryos. But the only successful treatments and cures come from adult stem cells, taken from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, fat tissue and other body tissues. Thousands of patients have had their health improved and their lives saved with adult stem cells. Dozens of diseases and injuries including cancer, juvenile diabetes, heart disease, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease have already been treated using adult stem cells and more treatments are being developed.

The new NIH guidelines are poor science and poor health care policy, and would divert dollars away from real treatments. Any federal dollar used for embryonic stem cell experimentation is a dollar not used for adult stem cells. This will delay adult stem cell treatments and cures. This new policy puts the health of Americans in danger. We need to put the patients first, and put federal funds toward the real treatments and real promise of adult stem cells.

If you, your spouse, your daughter, your son, your mother, your father, your relative, your friend, your neighbor, or your co-worker suffers from a disease or injury, you need to make your voice heard against taxpayer funded embryonic stem cell experiments and in favor of adult stem cell research. If you have been treated with adult stem cells, your story needs to be told.

The public comment period on these draft regulations is 30 days, and we ask that you submit comments to oppose these regulations on or before May 26, 2009. To submit your comment, please go to this website and fill out the form with your comment.